The change is met with relief to all passengers, with or without small children in strollers. For non-retrofitted buses strollers are required to be folded before boarding and then stowed out of the aisles once on board. This is often impractical and difficult given people traveling with children often have not only a stroller, but also bags of personal belongings.

Each of the 30 newly retrofitted buses can accommodate up to two strollers or personal carts which will result in swifter boardings and greater access for all.

Learn more about the stroller-friendly buses at the Wheels website.

The carshare program Getaround lets you share your car when you don't use it.

From Zipcar to City CarShare, RelayRides and Getaround, find out about several opportunities to start using a shared car in your neighborhood when you need it.

Or, if you own a car that you don’t always use, learn how to share it with others and make a little money in the meantime!

Check out our carsharing page to get started.

The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) provides rebates to Californians who purchase or lease electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles. The CVRP is funded through the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and is administered by the California Center for Sustainable Energy.

For a list of eligible vehicles and further information, visit www.cvrp.energycenter.org or call toll free at (866) 984-CLEAN (2532). For full details visit the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.

Want to help plan the Bay Area’s future for transportation, housing and land use, but unable to attend any of One Bay Area’s public workshops?

A virtual workshop is now available online. Anyone is invited to participate and comment through Wednesday, February 15th.

The workshop consists of the following steps:

1. A 7-minute Plan Bay Area introductory video
2. A 3-question survey on your overall support for Plan Bay Area
3. A 5-min. video on the transportation funding process
4. A 3-question survey on transportation investments, policies to reduce driving and emissions, and policies regarding public transit.
5. A slideshow on the quality of complete communities
6. A brief survery on your top priorities for complete communities
7. A 4-min. video on opportunities for transportation and land use
8. A 3-question survery on how Bay Area should accommodate its projected population growth
9. A brief demographic survey and opportunity to provide other comments

Click here to read more information about Plan Bay Area, or dive into the virtual workshop now.

511 Contra Costa is sponsoring buy one, get one free Commuter Cards on The County Connection!

The County Connection Commuter Card comes with 20 bus rides and BART transfers. Purchase one, $40 County Connection Commuter Card and receive another one free.

Requirements

• Live or work in Contra Costa County.
•  Be 18 years of age or older.
• Would otherwise drive alone if County Connection was not available.
• Agree to complete a brief questionnaire to determine the effectiveness of this promotion.

Promotion Rules

• One (1) free card per household while passes last.
• Commuter card must coincide with your work commute.
• This promotion ends June 30, 2012.
• County Connection and 511 Contra Costa reserve the right to make any changes to or to terminate this promotion at any time without prior notification.

Sign up now!

Above the new Caldecott Fourth Bore, six medallions designed by students in K-12 from Contra Costa and Alameda counties will be cast in concrete. The medallions adorning the entrances of the original two bores were designed in the mid-1930s, and the Caldecott Tunnel and the portals were designated a City of Oakland Landmark in 1980.

The Caldecott Fourth Bore Medallion Design Competition will have two phases.

Phase I

The public is invited to vote for a theme on which the medallion designs will be based.

Click here to vote for a Caldecott Medallion design theme before February 19, 2012. They are:

• Transportation Through Time
• East Bay Habitat
• East Bay People, Places & Communities
• Technology in our Time – Shaping Lives & Places
• Classic Art Deco Revisited
• 100 Years from Now

Phase II

The contest to design medallions will begin after the theme has been chosen. Students K-12 in Contra Costa and Alameda counties are invited to participate; each East Bay school can submit up to three students’ design proposals.

Read more

• Student contest winners to design portal adornments for Caldecott Tunnel fourth bore, Contra Costa Times
• Caldecott Fourth Bore Medallion Design Competition, caldecott-tunnel.org

You’re in luck – you can plan virtually any trip to, from, and within Contra Costa County and the Bay Area with 511CC’s newly updated Commuter Handbook.

Whether you’re traveling by car, plane, taxi, BART, bike, train, carpool, ferry, bus or otherwise, 511CC will help you find your way.

The handbook contains concise information for commuters, employers, students and seniors as well. A few handy sections are summarized below.

Alternative Fuel Locations

Find a list of all charging stations throughout Contra Costa with their contact information and the charger types each respective station supports.

Taxi Services in Contra Costa County

A list of taxi services divided regionally within Contra Costa – Central, East, Southwest, and West.

Biking in Contra Costa County

How to combine bicycle trips with buses, BART, ferries, trains, and which bridges one can cycle over and which offer shuttles. Free resources for paper and online Bay Area trail maps.

Check out the full handbook (in English or Spanish) here.